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The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will present the second annual Juneteenth in the Bluff: Arts & Culture Festival.

Activities will be held June 20 from 5-11 p.m. in Pine Bluff’s downtown Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District at Third Avenue and Main Street.

The festival, sponsored by UAPB, the city of Pine Bluff and the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission, is free and open to the public.

Grammy-nominated R&B singer Lenny Williams is the headliner, with opening acts by blues artist SINGA B and R&B and soul artist Terry Wright.

“Williams, born in Little Rock, is regarded as one of R&B’s most influential soul men,” according to a news release. “The impact of his music can still be felt, particularly his mega-hit ‘Cause I Love You,’ which crosses generational boundaries and has frequently been used in compilations from the time of its debut to new music premiering today.

“During the 1970s, Williams paused his solo career to replace the lead singer of the group Tower of Power, leading the band through its peak years and contributing to three hit albums and several popular songs including ‘So Very Hard to Go,’ ‘Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of a Stream),’ ‘What is Hip?,’ and ‘This Time It’s Real,'” according to the release.

Williams was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame in 2012.

Ryan Houston of KATV’s “Daybreak” and Christian the Comedian from Power 92.3FM will return as emcees.

The HBCU Line Dance Challenge is a new feature this year. Dance teams, clubs, instructors, sororities, fraternities, colleagues and other enthusiasts are invited to sign up and create the largest gathering of line dancers at an HBCU event, according to the release.

The ACF Arkansas Delta Chefs Association will offer food tastings and the Cub Club Kids Zone will feature carnival rides for the youngest festival-goers. Small businesses will line the street again this year at no cost to showcase their goods and merchandise, and food trucks will offer food and beverages for purchase.

“Juneteenth in the Bluff is more than a festival — it’s a tribute to freedom, resilience, and the African American cultural experience,” said UAPB Vice Chancellor of Institutional Advancement George Cotton. “We were blown away by the support in 2024 and thrilled that our partners were just as eager as we were to do it again this year, bigger and better.”

Nearly 2,500 people filled Pine Bluff’s Main Street last year, and attendance is expected to grow for this year’s festival. Juneteenth, short for June 19th, commemorates the day enslaved African Americans in Texas finally learned of their freedom, two and a half years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln.

Juneteenth occurred seven years before the founding of Branch Normal College, now UAPB, according to the release.

For more information about Juneteenth in the Bluff: Arts & Culture Festival or to participate as a vendor, contact Jaimie D. Wright at (870) 955-4830 or [email protected].

Line dancers, line dancing groups and volunteers interested in participating can apply at Juneteenthinthebluff.com.